Method and system for rendering content on the exterior of a vehicle

ABSTRACT

One embodiment includes a display system for use on the exterior of a vehicle having a display, a vehicle speed sensor, and a processor coupled to the vehicle speed sensor. The processor is configured to implement one of three operational modes of the display system based on the speed and state of the vehicle: a first operational mode, wherein a first content, including identification and/or registration information of the vehicle is rendered on the display at a first power consumption level; a second operational mode, wherein a second content, including a message, identification and/or registration information of the vehicle, is rendered on the display; and a third operational mode, wherein content is rendered on the display at a second power consumption level less than the first power consumption level.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/349,172 filed 27 May 2010, which is incorporated in its entirety bythis reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the display field, and morespecifically to a new and useful method and system for rendering contenton the exterior of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Upon registering a vehicle, the owner of a vehicle is typically issued alicense plate that displays the vehicle identification and registrationinformation. The owner of the vehicle, law enforcement, or any othersuitable party may use the displayed vehicle information to identify thevehicle. However, because license plates are typically metal sheets withthe desired identification and registration information formed into thesheet, updating the displayed information requires issuing a new licenseplate. Though the older plate may be recycled, significant manufacturingprocedures must be used to reform the older plate to include updatedidentification and registration information and to be used again as alicense plate. Thus, typical license plates include only informationthat is substantially permanent regarding the vehicle. For example, inthe State of California, the registration number (or license number) ofthe vehicle is formed into the license plate while registration datesand years are displayed using stickers. Each year, when the registrationof the vehicle is renewed, a new sticker is mailed or provided to theowner of the vehicle to replace the older sticker, which may serve as aninconvenience to the owner of the vehicle. Additionally, because of thereplaceable nature of the stickers, stickers are removable from thelicense plate, which may allow for stickers to be stolen or to detachpre-maturely, which leads to the loss of relatively importantinformation regarding the vehicle.

Vehicle identification and registration information may be displayed, or“rendered”, on a dynamic display arranged on the exterior of a vehiclerather than a static license plate. Dynamic displays may also allow foradditional information to be rendered on the exterior of a vehicle.However, arranging a typical dynamic display on the exterior of thevehicle does not necessarily provide the same functionality as a staticlicense plate. Thus, there is a need in the dynamic display field tocreate a new and useful vehicle identification and registrationinformation display that addresses providing at least the samefunctionality that static license plates provide while potentiallydisplaying additional information and providing improved updateabilityof vehicle identification and registration information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are schematic representations of the display systemoperating in a first operational mode, a second operational mode, and athird operational mode, respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionis not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments,but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use thisinvention.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the display system 100 for use on the exterior ofa vehicle 10 includes a display 110, a vehicle speed sensor 120, and aprocessor 130 coupled to the vehicle speed sensor 120. The processor 130is configured to implement one of three operational modes of the displaysystem 100 based on the speed and state of the vehicle 10: a firstoperational mode, wherein a first content, including identificationinformation of the vehicle 10 and/or registration information of thevehicle 10 is rendered on the display 110 at a first power consumptionlevel (shown in FIG. 1); a second operational mode, wherein a secondcontent, including a message, identification information of the vehicle10, and/or registration information of the vehicle 10, is rendered onthe display 110 (shown in FIG. 2); and a third operational mode, whereincontent is rendered on the display 110 at a second power consumptionlevel less than the first power consumption level (shown in FIG. 3). Thedisplay system 100 preferably also includes a communication device 140that allows content (for example, updated identification information,registration information, and/or messages) to be transferred to and fromthe display system 100. The display system 100 may also include alocation sensor 160, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS)device, a cellular tower location triangulation device, or any othersuitable location sensor that determines the location of the vehicle 10on which the display 110 is arranged. The location sensor 160 mayprovide a substantially general location or a substantially exactlocation of the vehicle. Additionally, the display system 100 mayinclude a storage device 150 that functions to store content; theprocessor 130 may retrieve content from the storage device 150 andrender it on the display 110. The display system 100 may furthercomprise a sensor that determines the proximity of the vehicle 10 to asecond vehicle.

The display system 100 is preferably used for registered vehicles suchas personal cars, trucks, motorcycles, rental cars, corporately-ownedcars, or any other suitable type of vehicle. The display system 100functions to render identification and/or registration information ofthe vehicle 10 that is preferably provided by an official authority,such as a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Preferably, the processor120 renders the identification and/or registration information of thevehicle 10 on the display 110 such that a state vehicle code isfollowed, such as the size and dimension of the displayed area, thecontent, size, and lettering style of the information, and thevisibility and reflectivity of the display 110. Preferably, theprocessor 120 renders content on the display 110 such that the statevehicle code of the state in which the vehicle 10 is registered isfollowed; alternatively, such as in the embodiment of the invention thatincorporates a location sensor (such as a GPS device), the processor 120may render content on the display 110 such that the state vehicle codeof the state in which the vehicle is located is followed. The displaysystem 100 preferably functions to display a message in addition to thevehicle identification and/or registration information. The message ispreferably provided by an advertiser, for example, an advertiser that issubstantially unrelated to the user. The subject matter of theadvertisement provided by the advertiser may be substantially unrelatedto the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10, and the advertisement maybe substantially unrelated to the vehicle 10. Alternatively, theadvertisement may be related to a demographic to which the driver and/orowner of the vehicle 10 belongs or to any other suitable characteristicof the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10. The advertisement may alsobe selectable by the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10, for example,via the Internet on a personal computer, via the internet on aninternet-capable mobile phone, or via any other suitable method. Theadvertisement may also be substantially related to the vehicle 10, forexample, a display system mounted to a Porsche may displayadvertisements that are targeted at a demographic with a brand affinitytoward Porsches. The advertisements may be substantially related to thelocation of the vehicle 10, for example, if the vehicle 10 is travelingwithin the vicinity of a venue, an advertisement for the venue may beshown. Alternatively, the message may be provided by a law enforcementagency, for example, an emergency broadcast regarding a missing person(for example, an Amber or an Elder alert). Furthermore, if the vehicle10 is reported stolen, the message may indicate that the vehicle 10 isstolen, thus allowing parties external to the vehicle to identify thevehicle 10 as such.

Alternatively, the message may be any suitable type of message and maybe controlled by any suitable party, for example, an officialorganization (for example, the DMV), the driver of the vehicle 10, theowner of the vehicle 10, a third party unrelated to the vehicle 10, orany other suitable party. In a first example, the message may includeadditional details related to the vehicle 10, including the model of thevehicle 10, the smog check results of the vehicle 10, maintenance issuesof vehicle 10, or any other suitable type of information related to thevehicle 10. In a second example, the message may include details relatedto the driver of the vehicle 10, including organizations that the driversupports or belongs to (for example, the Girl Scouts, the San FranciscoGiants baseball team, or a political party), a cause that the driversupports (for example, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) or cancer awareness), the demographic of the driver, or any othersuitable type of information related to the driver. In this secondexample, the message may also include official details regarding thedriver; for example, the message may indicate that the driver is adoctor or a law enforcement officer, allowing people outside the vehicle10 to direct requests to the driver when his services are desired.Official details may also include details relating to the drivinghistory of the driver; for example, if the driver has an imperfectdriving record, a notification may be rendered on the display in orderto warn others in the vicinity of the vehicle. In a third example, themessage may include notifications for drivers in the vicinity of thevehicle 10, for example, traffic information or weather forecasts. In afourth example, the message may include details regarding the owner ofthe vehicle. This may be particularly useful when the vehicle 10 is amember of a fleet of cars, for example, a car rental agency, a movingtruck rental agency, a government fleet, or any other suitable type offleet. The message of the fourth example may indicate which fleet thevehicle 10 belongs to; this information may be used to identifyvehicles, to advertise regarding the fleet (for example, if the vehicle10 belongs to a rental car agency, the message may include anadvertisement or a message for that particular rental car agency), orfor any other suitable purpose. However, the message may be of any othersuitable type of message.

The display system 100 is preferably powered by a power source. Thepower source is preferably a power source of the vehicle 10, such as theaccessories battery of the vehicle 10, the engine of the vehicle 10, orany other suitable power source of the vehicle 10. Alternatively, thedisplay system 100 may include and be powered by a power source that issubstantially independent from a power source of the vehicle 10. Thepower source of the display system 100 is preferably a battery, but mayalternatively be a solar panel, wind generator, or any other suitabletype of power source or combination of power sources. Yet alternatively,the display system 100 may include a power source that is rechargeableand coupled to a power source of the vehicle 10 that stores power fromthe vehicle 10 while the vehicle 10 is in operation and/or the ignitionof the vehicle 10 is on. In this variation, the power source of thedisplay system 100 allows for power generated while the vehicle is inoperation to be used at a later time by the display system 100. However,the display system 100 may be powered using any other suitable methodand/or arrangement.

The display 110 functions to display content, wherein content includesat least one of the identification information of the vehicle 10,registration information of the vehicle 10, and a message. The display110 is operated by the processor 130 in one of the three operationalmodes. The display 110 is preferably of a substantially low powerdisplay, such as an LED display, an LCD display, an e-ink display, anorganic LED display, an interferometric modulator display (iMoD), adisplay that uses electrophoretic deposition (EPD), a cholesteric liquidcrystal display (ChLCDs), or any other suitable display. The display 110may alternatively be a combination of the above display types. Thedisplay 110 preferably also has a substantially wide range of viewingangles. The display 110 is preferably also substantially thin, allowingthe display 110 to replace existing license plates on the rear and/orfront exterior of the vehicle. Similarly, the display 110 is preferablyof a width, height, and/or aspect ratio that is/are substantiallysimilar to existing license plates. Alternatively, the display 110 maybe substantially different than existing license plates (for example, inthe case of the relatively narrow height of European license plates, thedisplay 110 may be of a substantially different height). However thedisplay 110 may be of any other suitable dimension.

The display 110 may also include a backlight. The backlight functions tocontrol the light intensity of the information displayed by the display110. The backlight preferably includes a plurality of degrees of lightintensity. The processor 130 may select the degree of light intensitybased upon the mode of operation. The processor 130 may also select thedegree of light intensity based upon ambient light levels proximal tothe display 110. For example, the degree of light intensity may behigher during the day and lower during the night. In this variation, thedisplay system 100 also includes a light sensor to detect the level ofambient light. The degree of light intensity of the display system 100may also be selected based on the preferences of the driver, a lawenforcement officer, or any other suitable party. However, the degree oflight intensity of the display system 100 may be selected based on anyother suitable criteria. The backlight may be a set of lights locatedsubstantially on the perimeter of the display 110 and that are directedtoward the display 110. Alternatively, the backlight may be locatedsubstantially behind the display 110 and provide light from behind thedisplay 110. However, the backlight may be of any other suitablearrangement. The backlight may be a series of low-power light sources,such as LEDs, but may alternatively be any other type of light source.Alternatively, the display no may include a light-reflective surfacethat functions to illuminate the display 110 with reflected light. Thelight-reflective surface may be a mirror or any other suitable type ofreflective material. The light-reflective surface may also be of aretroreflective material that reflects light back in the direction ofthe light source. The light-reflective surface may also be combined witha light source to more effectively illuminate the display 110, forexample, the transflective materials used on freeway signs. However, anyother suitable material or method may be used to illuminate the display.

The vehicle speed sensor 120 functions to detect the speed of thevehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 120 is preferably a sensor thatmeasures the actual velocity and/or acceleration of the vehicle 10, suchas an accelerometer coupled to the vehicle 10 or a tachometer coupled tothe drivetrain of the vehicle 10 and which measures the number ofrevolutions of a drivetrain component, such as a wheel, for a period oftime in order to determine the speed of the vehicle 10. In a secondvariation, the vehicle speed sensor 120 couples to the speedometer ofthe vehicle 10 and/or an onboard computer of the vehicle 10; in thisconfiguration, the speed sensor 120 functions to transmit informationgathered by the speedometer and/or the onboard computer to the processor130, rather than measure the vehicle speed directly. However, thevehicle speed sensor 120 may be any other suitable type of sensor thatdetermines the actual speed and/or acceleration of the vehicle 10.Alternatively, the vehicle speed sensor 120 may be a sensor thatmeasures the relative velocity and/or acceleration of the vehicle, forexample an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor that determines thespeed of the vehicle relative to another object. The other object may bea stationary portion of the road or a nearby vehicle. However, thevehicle speed sensor 120 may determine the speed of the vehicle 10 usingany other suitable method or sensor type.

The processor 130 functions to render content on the display 110 basedupon the operational mode of the display system 100: a first mode,wherein a first content is rendered on the display 110 at a first powerconsumption level, the first content including identificationinformation of the vehicle 10 and/or registration information of thevehicle 10 (shown in FIG. 1); a second mode, wherein a second content isrendered on the display 110, the second content including a message andpossibly including identification information of the vehicle 10 and/orregistration information of the vehicle 10 (shown in FIG. 2); and athird mode, wherein content is rendered on the display 110 at a secondpower consumption level that is less than the first power consumptionlevel (shown in FIG. 3). Preferably, content rendered in the thirdoperational mode includes the identification and registrationinformation of the vehicle 10. In a variation of the display system 100,content rendered in the third operational mode includes a message inaddition to the identification and/or registration information of thevehicle 10. However, content rendered on the display 110 in the thirdoperational mode may include any other information or messages or anycombination thereof.

The processor 130 is preferably coupled to the vehicle speed sensor 120.As mentioned above, the speed determined by the vehicle speed sensor 120may be the actual speed of the vehicle 10 or may alternatively be thespeed of the vehicle 10 relative to another object (for example, aneighboring vehicle). The processor 130 preferably selects theoperational mode of the display system 100 based on the speed and powerstate of the vehicle 10. However, a device other than the processor,such as the onboard computer of the vehicle 10, a law enforcementofficer, a second processor connected to a remote server, or any othersuitable device or institution may select the operational mode of thedisplay system 100. The processor 130 preferably operates the display110 in the first and second operational modes when the vehicle 10 is on,and the processor preferably operates the display 110 in the thirdoperational mode when the vehicle 10 is off. The vehicle 10 ispreferably considered “on” when the driver turns any portion of thevehicle 10 on. In many cars, there is a plurality of “on” states, forexample, a first “on” state in which basic functionality, such asopening and closing windows, is allowed; a second “on” state in whichmore advanced and/or higher-power functionality, such as ventilationsystems or the sound system, is allowed; and a third “on” state in whichthe vehicle may be driven (or, in other words, the ignition is on). Thevehicle 10 may be considered “off” otherwise. In the “off” state,certain portions of the vehicle may still be “on”, for example, securitysensors, key proximity sensors (such as keyless entry), or any othertype of substantially-low-power functionality. Alternatively, thevehicle 10 may be considered “on” when the ignition is on and considered“off” when the ignition is off, regardless of any other functionalitythat the vehicle may provide to the driver. Yet alternatively, thevehicle 10 may be considered “on” when the presence of a person isdetected within the vehicle and “off” when there is no one within thevehicle. The vehicle 10 may also be considered off when the emergencybrake or transmission parking brake of the vehicle 10 is engaged,regardless of the state of the ignition or presence of a person withinthe vehicle 10. However, the vehicle may be considered “on” and “off”using any other suitable criteria. The processor 130 preferably operatesthe display 110 in the first operational mode when the vehicle 10 is ata first speed and preferably operates the display 110 in the secondoperational mode when the vehicle 10 is at a second speed lower than thefirst speed. The second speed is preferably substantially zero speed, orsubstantially close to zero speed. This allows for identification and/orregistration information of the vehicle 10 to be substantially visiblewhile the vehicle 10 is in motion (the first speed), as shown in FIG. 1.This allows any party external to the vehicle 10 to visually access theinformation rendered on the display 110 in a manner similar to that usedto visually access information on a static (or stamped) license plate.In one variation, the processor 130 operates the display 110 in thesecond operational mode and renders the second content on the display110 when the vehicle 10 is on and at the second speed, wherein thesecond speed is preferably zero speed or a substantially slow speed,such as when the vehicle is moving slowly through heavy traffic. Becausethe message depicted in the second mode takes up a portion of thedisplay area of the display no, the identification and/or registrationinformation also depicted may consume a smaller portion of the displayarea in the second operational mode as compared to the first operationalmode, as shown in FIG. 2. Because the identification and registrationinformation is depicted in a is smaller size on the display 110 when amessage is displayed concurrently with the vehicle 10 information, thevisibility of the identification and registration information may beless in the second operational mode than in the first operational mode.Alternatively, the identification and/or registration informationrendered on the display 110 in the second operational mode may be of thesame or similar format (for example, size and layout) as in the firstmode, but the message may be rendered on the display no to overlap theidentification and/or registration information. This may also result inreduced visibility of the identification and/or registration informationof the vehicle 10. Therefore, the message may be displayed only undersuch conditions as when the vehicle is stopped or nearly stopped so thatdecreased visibility of the identification and/or registrationinformation does not occur when the vehicle 10 is moving at asubstantial speed; however, the additional functionality of displayingthe message when the vehicle is at the second speed still remains.Additionally, the message may provide an undesired distraction for aparty outside of the vehicle 10 while the vehicle 10 is in motion, andthus, by only displaying the message while the vehicle is stopped ornearly stopped, the possibility of distraction may be substantiallyreduced. However, the processor 130 may alternatively operate thedisplay 110 in the first and second operational modes at any othersuitable speed arrangement. In a variation of this, the display system100 may enhance legibility of the information for a party outside of thevehicle 10 by horizontally mirroring content rendered on the display 110when the display 110 is mounted on the front exterior of the vehicle 10;in this variation, content rendered on the display may be read in thecorrect orientation by a party viewing the display 110 in a rearview orside mirror of a second vehicle located ahead of the vehicle 10.However, the processor may render content on the display 110 by anyother means or arrangement such that distraction caused by the display110 is reduced and legibility of the displayed content is improved.

As described above, the processor 130 preferably functions to operatethe display 110 in the third operational mode when the vehicle 10 isoff. The third operational mode preferably displays identification andregistration information of the vehicle 10 at a second lower powerconsumption level that is less than the first power consumption level.In a variation of this, a message is rendered on the display 110 inaddition to the identification and registration information of thevehicle 10, although any one or combination of a message, identificationinformation of the vehicle 10, registration information of vehicle 10,or any other information may be rendered on the display 110 when in thethird operational mode. When the vehicle 10 is off, the power availableto the display system 100 may be less than when the vehicle is on. Forexample, in the variation wherein the display system 100 obtains powerfrom a power source of the vehicle 10, the display system 100 may beutilizing energy that was stored from another period of time when thevehicle was on. Thus, there is a limited supply of power, and byoperating the display 110 at a lower power consumption level in thethird operational mode than in the first and/or second operational modeswhile the vehicle is off, the length of time that content may berendered on the display 110 may be increased for a given amount ofenergy available to the display system 100.

The operation of the display 110 in the third operational mode mayreduce the power consumption of the display system 100 in a variety ofarrangements. In a first variation, the display 110 may be turned off ata first time and turned on at a second time. The display 110 may betimed to cycle on and off at specific time intervals, for example, everyfive minutes. The driver, the owner, or any other suitable party mayadjust the intervals. This allows the display 110 to be turned off for alength of time and turned on for another length of time. The length oftime that the display 110 is turned off is preferably substantiallylonger than the length of time that the display 110 is turned on, whichsubstantially decreases the power consumption of the display 110. In afurther variation, when in the third operational mode, content may berendered on the display 110 in colors that require less power todisplay, as compared to when operating in the first operational mode.However, the processor may operate the display 110 by any other meansthat reduces power consumption of the display 110 when in the thirdoperational mode, as compared to the first operational mode.Furthermore, the processor 130 may reduce the power consumption level ofthe processor 130 when in the third operational mode, for example, byreducing clock speed, shutting down auxiliary functions such astransmitting data to and/or receiving data from the communicationsdevice 140, or any other method to reduce power consumption of theprocessor 130. When the processor 130 operates the display no in thethird operational mode, the light intensity of the display 110 may besubstantially identical to the light intensity of the first and/or thesecond operational modes. Alternatively, because the vehicle 10 ispresumed to be stationary when off (a possible exception to thispresumption would be when the vehicle 10 is being towed) and the partyto which message and/or identification information and/or registrationinformation is to be shown is substantially proximal to the vehicle 10,the light intensity of the display 110 may be substantially less in thethird operational mode than in the first and/or second operationalmodes. However, any other suitable light intensity may be used in thethird operational mode.

In a second variation, the display no may be continuously on whenoperating in the third operational mode but at a substantially lowerlight intensity than in the first and/or second operational modes. In afirst example, the backlight of the display 110 may be at the lowestlight intensity in the third mode. In a second example, in the variationof the display 110 that is e-ink, the backlight of the display 110 maybe turned off, allowing only the e-ink, which is bistable and does notrequire additional power to maintain, to be visible. The method andarrangement to decrease the power consumption of the display 110 in thethird operational mode is preferably one of the two above variations,but may alternatively be a combination of the above variations or anyother suitable method or arrangement.

The processor 130 may alternatively operate the display 110 in a fourthoperational mode. The fourth mode may be determined by communicationthrough the communication device 140. In a first example, thecommunication device 140 may communicate with a law enforcement agencyand may indicate to the processor 130 that the vehicle 10 has beenstolen. The processor 130 may then operate the display 110 in a fourthoperational mode in which a notification that the vehicle 10 is a stolenvehicle is rendered on the display 110. However, the fourth mode mayalternatively be of any other suitable type and actuated by any othersuitable method.

The communication device 140 functions to allow content, information,and/or data to be transferred to and from the display system 100. Thecommunication may be conducted with an official organization (such as aDMV office or a law enforcement agency), a content database, the driverof the vehicle, the owner of the vehicle, or any other suitable party.The communication device may transmit and/or receive informationregarding vehicle identification and/or registration information,vehicle maintenance information, driver information, vehicle locationinformation (for example, in the variation of the display system 100that includes a GPS location device or accesses GPS location services),updated advertisements, or any other suitable type of information. Thecommunication device 140 is preferably of a wireless communication type,for example, one that communicates with cellular phone towers, Wi-Fihubs, or any other suitable type of wireless communication. However, thecommunication device 140 may be a wired communication device. In thisvariation, updated information is transferred when the display system100 is “plugged in” to an updating device, for example, a computer at amaintenance facility, at a DMV office, or any other suitable location,or another vehicle and/or display system 100 that has wirelesscommunication capabilities. The communication device 140 may alsoinclude a communication processor that functions to interpretcommunications to and/or from the display system 100. The communicationprocessor is preferably separate from the processor 130, but mayalternatively be the processor 130. The communication processor mayfunction to encrypt and/or decrypt communications to and/or from thedisplay system 100. The encryption/decryption may be any one of avariety of authentication and encryption schema. For example,cryptographic protocols such as Diffie-Hellman key exchange, WirelessTransport Layer Security (WTLS), or any other suitable type of protocol.The communication processor may also function to encrypt data toencryption standards such as the Data Encryption Standard (DES), TripleData Encryption Standard (3-DES), or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).However, the communication device 140 may allow any other suitable typeof communication and may be of any other suitable arrangement.

The communication device 140 may receive content, information, and/ordata from a content database. Preferably, the content database isarranged substantially remote from the processor 130. The contentdatabase also preferably contains content provided by an institution,for example, an advertiser, a school, a record company, or a sports teamor venue; content provided by the institution preferably includesadvertisements. Alternatively, the content database may contain contentprovided by the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10, for example, amessage composed by the owner of the vehicle 10 congratulating a childupon graduation from high school. However, any other suitable party mayprovide content to the content database, and the content database mayinclude a combination of advertisements from one or more institutionsand personal messages from one or more individuals. In a first example,content on the content database is accessed by the processor 130 via thecommunication device 140 and stored on the storage device 150.Preferably, the storage device 150 is arranged substantially proximal tothe display 110, such as within the vehicle 10 or within a housingcontaining the display 110; however, the storage device 150 may belocated remotely from the vehicle 10, such as on a hard drive connectedto a remote server. In a second example, content on the content databaseis accessed via the communication device 140 in real time and thenrendered on the display 110, thereby bypassing storage of content on thestorage device 150. However, content from the remote message databasemay be accessed by any other means before being rendered on the display110. In a third example, the storage device also functions as thecontent database, wherein content from at least one institution orindividual, such as those listed above, may be stored on the storagedevice and also selected by the driver and/or owner of the of vehicle 10to be rendered on the display 110. In this variation, the storage device150 of the display system 100, also functioning as a content database,may be accessed by a second display system separate from the displaysystem 100, such as a display system arranged on a second vehicle.However, any other suitable party may select the content to be renderedon the display 110 from the content database. Furthermore, content onthe content database may be selected, accessed and/or modified by thedriver and/or owner of the vehicle 10, or any other suitable party, viaan interface. Preferably, the interface is internet-based and accessiblevia a web browser, for example, on a mobile smart phone or on acomputer. In a first example, the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10may access interface with an internet-capable mobile phone, then loginto the content database and select content (for example, a SanFrancisco Giants Baseball banner) he wishes to be rendered on thedisplay 110. In a second example, the content database stores vehicleregistration information, and upon the renewal of the registration ofthe vehicle 10, a DMV representative may access the content database viaa computer equipped with the interface and then update the registrationinformation of the vehicle 10 on the content database; the communicationdevice 140 may then retrieve the updated registration information fromthe content database and the registration information subsequentlyrendered on the display 110 may reflect the renewal. Alternatively, theinterface may be a handheld device that is hardwired, or physically“plugged in”, to the display system 100. In this variation, theinterface may or may not be removable from the display system 100.Furthermore, the interface may not couple to the content database viathe communication device 140, but instead only provide the driver and/orowner of the vehicle 10, or any other suitable party, to access contentalready located on the display system 100, such as on the storage device150 arranged substantially proximal to the display 110. For example, alaw enforcement officer, upon pulling over the driver of the vehicle 10for a traffic violation, may hook up to the display system 100 arrangedon the vehicle 10 a device equipped with the interface, wherein theinterface provides access to the current identification and/orregistration information of the vehicle 10. However, the interface maypermit access to any content contained in any other device coupled tothe display system 110 and by any other means.

The communication device 140 may transmit data regarding the renderingof a particular content on the display 110. Preferably, an advertisementis included in the content rendered on the display 110, and thecommunication device 140 transmits data regarding the rendering of theadvertisement on the display 110. This data may include, for example,how long the advertisement was displayed, when it was displayed, andwhere it was displayed. Alternatively, this data could be collectedand/or stored by the processor 130, although it could be collected andstored by any other device or means. Preferably, this information isused to determine the magnitude or type of an award granted to thedriver and/or owner of the vehicle 10. In a first example, if anadvertisement for tickets to a baseball game featuring a given team isrendered on the display 110, the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10may receive a monetary award commensurate with the length of time thatthe advertisement was rendered on the display 110; alternatively, theowner and/or driver of the vehicle 10 may receive one or more tickets toa baseball game featuring this team in return for displaying theadvertisement in an area with a relatively low attendance at baseballgames. However, any other method may be used to grant an award of anyother type to the driver and/or owner of the vehicle 10 in return forthe rendering of content on the display 110.

The sensor for determining the proximity of the vehicle 10 to a secondvehicle functions to indicate to the processor 120 to modify contentrendered on the display 110. The processor 120 preferably renders amessage, such as an advertisement, on the display 110 when the secondvehicle is substantially proximal to the vehicle 10 (such as in thesecond mode); the processor 120 preferably renders the identificationand registration information of the vehicle 10 on the display 110 whenthe sensor detects that no second vehicle is substantially proximal tothe vehicle 10 (such as in the first mode or the third mode). The sensormay be a RADAR detector, a LIDAR detector, an IRtransmitter-photoresistor pair, a camera, or any other suitable deviceconfigured to detect the proximity of the vehicle 10 to a secondvehicle. In the embodiment of the sensor that is a camera, the cameramay be configured to detect identification information of the secondvehicle (such as the license plate number of the second vehicle); thisinformation may be used to determine the owner of the second vehicle andobtain information relating to the owner of the second vehicle. Theprocessor 120 may then modify content rendered on the display 110 basedupon the demographic of the owner of the second vehicle, such as bydisplaying an advertisement for discount prescription medications if theowner of the second vehicle is determined to be at least sixty years ofage; by displaying an advertisement for a women's fashion store if theowner of the second vehicle is determined to be female; or by displayingdriver information if the second vehicle is determined to be owned by orused by a law enforcement agency. In this example, identificationinformation of the second vehicle may be transmitted to a database ofvehicle identification information, wherein the database returnsinformation about the owner of the second vehicle 10, such as age,ethnicity, or gender; the database may be maintained by an entity suchas a DMV or the American Automobile Association (AAA). Alternatively,the camera may be configured to determine directly the demographic ofthe driver of the second vehicle (for example, by matching the driver toa specific ethnicity by with facial recognition software) or theresponse of the driver of the second vehicle to a message rendered onthe display 120. In the latter example, the response of the driver ofthe second vehicle may be used to pick an alternative message that mayproduce a more favorable response if the initial response is negative,or to choose a similar message if the first response is positive.Furthermore, in the embodiment in which the sensor is a camera, thecamera may be used to measure the level of ambient light substantiallyproximal to the vehicle 10 such that content may be rendered on thedisplay no at an appropriate light level; for example, the brightness ofthe display may increase if the camera determines a high level ofsunlight near the vehicle 10. However, the sensor may detect any otherinformation relevant to the second vehicle and indicate to the processor120 to modify content rendered on the display based upon any othervariable.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detaileddescription and from the figures and claims, modifications and changescan be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention as defined in the followingclaims.

1. A method of rendering content on the exterior of a vehicle, thevehicle having an on state and an off state, the method comprising thesteps of: providing a display configured to mount on the exterior of thevehicle; rendering a first content on the display and operating thedisplay at a first power consumption level when the vehicle is in the onstate and at a first speed; rendering a second content on the displaywhen the vehicle is in the on state and at a second speed different thanthe first speed; and rendering content on the display and operating thedisplay at a second power consumption level when the vehicle is in theoff state, wherein the second power consumption level is less than thefirst power consumption level.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of modifying content rendered on the display basedupon the location of the vehicle.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of storing data regarding the rendering of aparticular content.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data includesthe amount of time that the particular content was displayed.
 5. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the particular content is an advertisement.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving aninput from a user; and modifying content rendered on the display basedupon the input.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofproviding a content database that stores content to be rendered on thedisplay.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:receiving a user selection of content from the content database; andrendering content selected by the user on the display.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising the step of decrypting content received fromthe content database.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: arranging the display on the front exterior of the vehicle;and horizontally mirroring content rendered on the display.
 11. Themethod of claim, further comprising the steps of: determining that asecond vehicle is substantially proximal to the vehicle; and modifyingcontent rendered on the display based upon the proximity of the vehicleto the second vehicle.
 12. A display system for rendering content on theexterior of a vehicle, the vehicle having an on state and an off state,the system comprising: a display configured to mount on the exterior ofthe vehicle and to operate at a power consumption level; a vehicle speedsensor that detects the speed of the vehicle; and a processor connectedto the speed sensor and configured to implement one of the followingthree operational modes of the display system based upon the speed andstate of the vehicle: a first operational mode when the vehicle is inthe on state and at a first speed; a second operational mode when thevehicle is in the on state and at a second speed different than thefirst speed; and a third operational mode when the vehicle is in the offstate; wherein the processor renders content on the display and modifiesthe power consumption level of the display based upon the operationalmode.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor renders a firstcontent on the display and operates the display at a first powerconsumption level in the first operational mode, the first contentincluding at least one of the identification information of the vehicleand the registration information of the vehicle.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the processor renders a second content on the display in thesecond operational mode, the second content differing from the firstcontent and including at least one of a message, the identificationinformation of the vehicle, and the registration information of thevehicle.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor renderscontent on the display and operates the display at a second powerconsumption level in the third operational mode, the second powerconsumption level being less than the first power consumption level. 16.The system of claim 13, wherein the processor renders content on thedisplay and operates the display at a second power consumption level inthe third operational mode, the second power consumption level beingless than the first power consumption level.
 17. The system of claim 16,wherein the processor reduces power consumption of the processor in thethird operational mode.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein theprocessor renders content on the display at a lower light intensity inthe third operational mode than in the first operational mode.
 19. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to cycle on andoff the rendering of content on the display.
 20. The system of claim 12,wherein the processor is arranged substantially proximal to the display.21. The system of claim 12, further comprising a storage device thatcouples to the processor and stores at least a portion of the contentrendered on the display.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the storagedevice is arranged substantially proximal to the display.
 23. The systemof claim 12, further comprising a communication device that allowscontent to be transferred to and from the processor.
 24. The system ofclaim 23, further comprising a content database arranged substantiallyremote from the display, wherein the communication device retrievescontent from the content database and the processor renders on thedisplay at least a portion of the retrieved content.
 25. The system ofclaim 24, wherein at least a portion of the content retrieved from thecontent database is an advertisement.
 26. The system of claim 12,further comprising a location sensor that determines the location of thevehicle.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the location sensor is aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) device.
 28. The system of claim 26,wherein the processor modifies content rendered on the display basedupon the location of the vehicle as determined by the location sensor.29. The system of claim 12, further comprising an interface thatreceives an input from a user.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein theprocessor modifies content rendered on the display based upon the userinput.
 31. The system of claim 12, wherein the display is arranged onthe front of the vehicle and the processor renders on the displaycontent that is horizontally mirrored in at least one operational mode.32. The system of claim 12, wherein the display system is powered atleast partially by a power source of the vehicle.
 33. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the processor selects the operational mode.
 34. Thesystem of claim 12, further comprising a sensor configured to detect theproximity of the vehicle to a second vehicle, wherein the processormodifies content rendered on the display based upon the proximity of thevehicle to the second vehicle.
 35. The system of claim 34, wherein thesensor is a camera further configured to detect the license plate numberof the second vehicle.